Chime ringer



Oct. 21, 1941. M. RICH, JR 2,260,195

CHIME RINGER F'iled Feb. 17, 1941 Patented Oct. 21, 1941 GHIME RINGER MauriceRicl-i, Jr., Clinton, Iowa, assigner to Rich Manufacturing Company, Clinton, Iowa, a corporation of Illinois Application February 17, 1941, Serial No. 379,225

2 Claims.

The present improvements are concerned with an inexpensive ringer preferably utilizing chimes of two tones, and is adapted especially for use with doll or play houses. More particularly, I have been concerned with the production of such a ringer which is cheap, durable, easily operated, and, above all, effective for sounding, if desired, two chimes in alternation with clear ringing tones.

As a suggestive embodiment of this invention, I

have shown in the accompanying drawing in Fig. l a fragmentary perspective view of a toy house upon theV front door of which is mounted the present bell ringer; in Figs. 2 and 3 longitudinal sections taken on lines 2--2 and 3 3 of Figs. 3 and 2, respectively; and in Fig. 4 a view in perspective of the mounting plate whereon are carried the operating parts of the present bell mechanism.

As suggested in Fig. l, the present ringer may be mounted upon a vertical surface such as is afforded by a door D which is provided at the entrance to a play house H. The ringer comprises a box of wood, fiber or the like, having an open back with a front wall 5, top and bottom walls 6 and side walls l, the latter cut away at 8 to provide openings'of ample size through which sound vibrations may freely pass. The box may be affixed to the surface whereon it is mounted as by a pair of screws 9 which take into its top and bottom walls (see Fig. 5).

The space within the box is occupied in part by the ringer mechanism which comprises a mounting plate P which is adapted to be secured upon the inside face of the front wall with the aid of suitable fastening devices, such as a pair of bolts II). This plate is fonmed near one end with a pair of spaced, outturned, parallel ears II apertured to form bearings for a slide bolt I2 whose opposite ends are hollowed to receive mallets I4 of wood, fiber or the like. The bolt, which is Slidable crosswise of the box, occupies a position near one end thereof. Upon the exterior of each side wall of the box is mounted a resonant plate forming one of two chimes, I5 and IS, each supported as by a pair of grommets Il through which are entered screws I8 threaded into the side wall of the box. Each grommet is made preferably from rubber or like yielding material so that full play may be allowed to the vibrations of the plate when struck. It is intended that the mallets carried by the bolt shall alternately strike the two chime plates so as to produce a two-tone sound effect. This may be accomplished by means as follows:

Through the bolt I provide aA transverse passage 20 of ample size to freely receive one end portion of a resilient wire 2l .whose opposite end is rigidly attached as by a solder connection 22 to a rocker R in the form of a lever which is pivotally connected as by a rivet 23A to the mounting plate. A spring 24 is connected to one end of the rocker, the opposite spring end being held td an ear 25 which is bent laterally from the plate adjacent its lower end. The tension of this spring pulls the rocker in one direction, there' by carrying the arm 2I with it as far as permitted by a stop 26 which may be conveniently provided as by striking upv an ear from the plate. A second stop 2T is also provided, being positioned opposite to, but spaced from, the stop 26, the two stops confining the swinging movements of the spring arm to the limited distance therebetween. Normally the arm rests against the stop 26, due to the tension of the spring 24, in which position one of the mallets I4 remains close to but slightly spaced from the proximate chime plate I5.

I attach to the rocker end opposite to that lwhere the spring 24 is connected, a cord 30 which depends through an opening 3| in the bottom wall of the box to carry at its lower end a ball or button 32 by which to facilitate manual operation thereof. When pulled, the rocker is moved to swing the resilient arm against the opposite stop 21; due to momentum, however, the free end of the resilient arm tends to swing further and yields in consequence so that the advancing bolt strikes momentarily against the proximate chime plate I6. As the arm straightens up again the P bolt withdraws from the chime so that its mallct will not interfere with free vibration thereof. If now the cord be released, the spring 24 which exerts a constant force will cause the arm to swing back to its initial position against the stop 26. The momentum acquired during this reverse stroke is such that the bolt again advances sufficiently to strike the opposite chime I5, but only momentarily since the arm 2I will tend at once to straighten out again thereby freeing the mallet from the chime. In this way a single pull of the cord 30 followed by a release thereof will cause the bolt to reciprocate and strike alternately with its two mallets the chime plates I5 and IE each of which, immediately after being sounded, is free to give off its Vibrations inasmuch as Contact of the mallets therewith is but momentary.

The ringer mechanism herein d isclosed is simple in the extreme. It may be produced at a cost of but a few cents. It is operable to produce a sounding of two chimes in alternation, or but one if the cord pull or release be eiected gradually. A clear ringing tone is obtainable with each stroke of the bolt, due to the striking mallets whose contacts are but momentary. I would have it 5 understood that the reference herein to chime plates is to include other resonant devices whether in the form of bells, bars, or otherwise, since any of the well known objects having special capacity for resonance may be employed in lieu of walls thereof, a plate supported interiorly of the box upon a wall intermediately of those Whereon the chimes are mounted, the plate being provi-ded with a pair of outstanding apertured spaced ears forming bearings, a mallet device having a transverse opening therethrough slidably mounted within the bearings and movable alternately toward and from the two chimes,l there being sound openings in the box sides adjacent the chimes through which the mallet device may pass to strike the chimes upon the exterior of the bomsides, a resilient arm pivotally connected at one end with the plate and extending away therefrom throughr the transverse opening in the mallet device and freely slidable therein to impart reciprocatory movements thereto, a spring in connection with the arm adapted to swing the arm in one direction, a manually operated device in connection with the arm adapted to swing the arm in the opposite direction counter to the tension of the spring, and a second pair of ears positioned relatively remote from the free end of the arm on opposite sides thereof adapted to afford spaced stops for limiting the swinging movements of the arm, the latter being yieldable upon engagement with either stop to permit the mallet device to advance a further distance, the chimes being so positioned relatively to the limits of the mallet strokes in both directions as to be successively struck by the mallet device in response to yielding movements of the arm past the stops.

2. A ringer in which is comprised a plate from which upstand a pair of apertured ears forming spaced bearings, a mallet device having a transverse opening therethrough slidably mounted within the bearings, a resilient arm having one end secured to the base and extending away therefrom through the transverse opening in the mallet device and freely slidable therein to impart reciprocatory movements thereto, spring means urging the arm to swing in one direction, a manually operated device in connection with the arm adapted to impart swinging movements thereto in the direction counter to-l the tension of the spring means, means relatively remote form the free end of the arm on opposite sides thereof affording spaced stops for limiting the swinging movements of the arm, the latter being yieldable upon engagement with either stop to permit the mallet device to advance a further distance, and a pair of chimes, one opposite each end of the mallet device, each adapted to be successively struck by the mallet device in response to yielding movements of the arm past the stops.

MAURICE RICH, JR. 

